Ship-protecting device.



L. BELTHAMI.

SHIP PROTECTING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED MAR. I5, 1916. RENEwED FEB. I3. 1917.

1.2199692. Patented Mar. 20, 191?.

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L. BELTHAIVH.

SHIP PROTECTING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. Is, Isls. RENEwgI) FEB. Ia. 1917.

Patented Mar. 2 0, 1917.

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LUIGI BELTRAMI, OF COUPON, PENNSYLVANIA.

SHIP-PROTECTING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mai'. 20, 1917.

Application ledMarch 15, 1916, Serial No. 84,386. Renewed February 13, 1917. Serial No. 148,387.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I; LUIGI BnL'rnAMr, a subject of the King of Italy, residing at Coupon, in the county of Cambria and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shiplrotecting Devices, of which the following is a specification.

lThis invention. relates to certain new and useful improvements in ship protecting devices.

An object of the present invention is to provide a protecting device that may be easily attached to any form of boat or ship which will receive and absorb the shocks and jars incident to the striking of a wharf or in collisions.

A further object of the invention is to provide a protecting device for ships that substantially incloses the ship with shock absorbing springs interposed between the ships sides and the protectingcasing.

With these general objects in view and others that will appear as the natur-eef the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and then claimed. Y

In the drawings forming a part of thisl application and wherein like designating characters refer to corresponding parts throughout the several views:-

Figure 1 is a. longitudinal sectional view of a boat provided with the present improved protecting device positioned thereon, illustrating the shock absorbing springs and their location, the section being taken on line I-I of Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the same.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail cross-sectional view taken on line III--III of Fig. 1 showing the manner of mounting one of the sets of springs.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail sectional view taken on the line IV-IV of Fig. 1, showing one of the other sets of spring members which also constitute the means for holding the protecting casing in position.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of a portion of the bow of the boat showing the forward cushioning members, and,

Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view of a modied form of construction.

Briefiy. described, the present invention aims to provide a protecting device for ships or boats in the form of a casing that incloses the boat with coil springs interposed between the casing and the walls of the boat to absorb shocks and jars incident to collisions and other accidents. One set .of the cushioning springs have their ends received in sockets carried by the outer wall of the boat and the inner wall of the protecting casing while the remaining springs have piston rods extending therethrough which project through the sides of the boat to constitute guides for all of the springs and to also form a ready means of attaching the casing to the boat. The forward portion of the protecting casing is formed independently of the remaining portion thereof and has longitudinally directed cushioning` springs associated therewith.

Referring more in detail to the accompanying drawings, the reference numeral 10 designates a boat which may be of any suitable construction, but as shown, has a tapered bow and stern and positioned laterally of the sides of the boat 10 are the side walls 11 of the protecting casing, the protecting casing including an independent bow section 12and a sternsection 13. The sides and ends of the protective casing are curved coincident to the curvature of the side walls of the boat 10 while a preferred form of bracket 14 as shown more clearly in Fig. 1 permanently secures the stern section 13 of the casing to the boat with the forwardly projecting ends thereof overlapping the rear ends of the side sections 11, while a similaioverlapping connection appears at the forward ends of the side sectionsY and the bow section 12.

The side sections 11 of the projecting casing are held in position on the boat 10 by the form of piston rod and cushioning spring more clearly shown in detail in Fig. il, the side walls of the boat being provided at desired points with outwardly projecting hollow bosses 15 and inwardly projecting cylinders 16 alined with the respective bosses and within which cylinder the head 17 of the piston rod 1S is adapted to reciprocate. The outer end of each piston rod is permanently secured as at 19 to the adjacent side section 11 of the casing and a coil spring 20 surrounds each piston rod 18and engages at its opposite ends the sidewall of the boat and the section l1. In order to prevent entrance of water into the boat 10 through the boss 15 and cylinder 16, there is provided for the inner end of each cylinder 16, a water tight closure cap 21 secured in position in any preferred manner. Additional cushioning springs are positioned between the sides of the boat and casing sections and are shown more clearly in Fig. 3, the op posed faces of the boat sides and side sections ll being j irovided with alined sockets 22 within which the ends of expansion coil springs Q? are seated. Any number of these springs 23 may be provided and the saine may be spaced the desired distan e apart so that shocks or jars will be absorbed by the springs and '20 when an object strikesl the side sections 1l at an 7 portion thereof.

VFigs. l and 5 show more clearly the form of protecting casing` l), located at the bow of the boat and the cushioning springs for the bow section l2 are in all material features 'the same as the side cushioning springs described. rThe particular manner of mounting the bow section 'l2 consists in j )ro'viding a desired nun'iber of pistons 9A- having point ed heads 25 jjirojecting forwardly of the section 1Q', the pistons having sliding engagement with the boat 10 while the inner end thereof slidably projects through a bracket 26 positioned at the bow end of the boat and being limited in its forwardly projected position by the head 27 engaging the bracket 2G. A water-tight joint 28 surrounds the piston 241e at the point where the same passes through the boat 10 which will prevent the entrance of water into the boat. A coil spring Q9 surrounds each piston Q4, it being noted that any number of these pistons may be provided` and engages at its opposite ends the bow section 12 of the protecting casing and the bow of the boat. Additional springs are provided to assist the springs Q9 and are located laterally thereof, these springs being designated by the reference numeral 30 and having their ends received in sockets 3l supported by brackets 32 anc 33 carried by the boat and bow section l2 respectively.

From the above detailed filescription of the device it is thought that the operation thereof will be readily apparent, it being noted that when the bow section 12 of the protecting casing strikes an abutment, the said bow section will be moved rearwardly against the tension of the springs 29 and 30 and the overlapping engagement of the bow section with the side sections 1l will cause the adjacent springs 2O and 23 to be coinpressed and thereby absorb all shocks and jars without damage to the boat 10. rlhe springs Q0 and located at the sides of the boat will sin'iilarly absorb all shocks when the sides 11 of the casing strike an abutment and further relieve the boat of injury.

A modified form of construction is shown in Fig. G and the spring elements disclosed are identical with those shown and described in connection with the other forms, but in this, instance, the sides of the protecting casing are formed of hinged sections Sat so that only the springs adjacent the engaging point with an abutment will be compressed to ab sorb the shocks and the remaining springs will remain idle.

lli'hile the forms of the invention herein shown and described are what are believed to be the preferred embodiments thereof, it is nevertheless to be understood that various forms, modifications and arrangements of the parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

lVhat l claim as new is In a ship protecting device, the combinaw tion with the hull of the ship, a bracket secured to the inner face of said hull at the bow thereof, and a boss on said bow of the hull in line with the bracket, of a bow protecting plate spaced from the bow of the hull, a bracket secured to the inner face of said protecting plate in line with said bracket and boss on the hull, a piston slidably mounted in said brackets and boss and extending through the protecting plate, a pointed head on the forward end o-f said pis ton engaging the protecting plate, and a spring around said piston between the boat hull and protecting plate.

ln testimony whereof l affix my signature.

LUIGI BELTRAMI.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patentsq Washington, D. C. 

